Improvement in torpedoes for oil-wells



UNITED STATESJPATENT OFFICE.

PROSPER E. WELLMAN, OF ST. PETERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TORPEDOES FOR OIL-WELLS.

Speeication forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,325, dated August 20, 1878; application filed May 2l, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PROSPER E. TELL- MAN, of St. Petersburg, in the county of Glarion and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedoes for Oil-Wells and other purposes;` and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Torpedo-fuses may be classied according to their mode of operation-percussion, friction, chemical, and electric fuses.

' My invention relates to the first class, which comprises all fuses in which the iiame is produced by a blow on somefulminating compound. The fulminate is generally in the form of the ordinary percussion caps. The blow may be produced in various ways, as by releasing compound springs, which act on a hammer, or by dropping a weight. I prefer the latter.; but I use as an auxiliary the former.

In all cases where fuses of this kind have been used it is customary to employ several and place them in the torpedo inelosed with small cylinders, but of different construction and mode of operation from mine, as will hereinafter more fully appear, and while mine is particularly applicable to oil-wells, they may be applied to blasting, mining, and other branches of industry with equally good effect. They seldom, if ever, fail, are simple in construction and action, cheap in iirst cost, and are not very liable to get out of order, even when left submerged, provided Vthe water will not be allowed to enter the'vessel holding the caps or fuhninate. They are, however, sensitive, and must be handled with great care.

The action of the fulminate sometimes becomes sluggish, and will not ignite by the first blow, a second, nor a third-in fact, may not at all. Then the torpedo will have to be withdrawn and reprimed, which process is ordinarily very dangerous. To avoid this danger is principally the object I have in view by my invention. Y

I am aware that there are many kinds of fuses; that small cylinders centrally arranged one within the other have been used; and I know it is not new;to use weights for igniting the fulminate or exploding the caps within said cylinders; and IV know the inner tubes have been slitted for various reasons, to none of which I lay claim broadly.

In the slitted tubes the caps are placed, and on failure to explode when the weight falls several times, the slitted tubes bulge out at the sides, the cap has a tendency to fall from a vertical line against the side, ,and when the plunger comes down to where it should strike the cap it lags or is deflected to one side, failing to explode the cap, and damaging the tube in such la manner that it can only be removed by unsoldering the head of the largest cyliuder and removing the whole nest.

Now, to obviate this difficulty, and to more vnearly insure the certain explosion of the torpedo, and to facilitate the more ready withdrawal of the small tubes containing the fulminate when necessary, are the objects of my invention; and it consists, first, in making the tubes holding the fulminate or caps of different lengths andV arranging the weight vin such a manner that only a portion of the plun gers or hammer-rods will receive the blows at one time, so that if one series fail the other lseries is then utilized; and it further consists Vvin perforating the tubes and arranging the caps and plun gers therein, so that they at alltimes remain in a vertical position by means of springs, and also arranging the springs so that they will both act to impart to the weights additional force, and at the same time suspend and direct the plungers in their course.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents a nitro-glycerine torpedo in vertical longitudinal sections with my imy proved percussion apparatus applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the apparatus, plainly showing the various tubes, plungers, weights, bridges, Ste., and the mode of inserting the fuse apparatus into the torpedo.` Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of the torpedo, the inner cylinders, the three large perforated cylinders, the small inner perforated cylinders, andthe plungers or the hammerrods; Fig. 4, the weights, which may be dropped one after another on the failure of the first or second to explode the torpedo, and

may be repeated as long as may be thought necessary.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the iigures.

A represents the body of a torpedo, which may be of any size or shape, but round is preferred. The cylinderB maybe located to one side of the torpedo, or may be concentric, as shown. This cylinder is tight at its bottom, and before explosion communicates nowhere with the material in the torpedo. Within the cylinder B are located two or more small cylinders, which rest upon the bottom of said cylinder B, and within these smaller cylinders are still smaller cylinders or tubes D, also perforated, and which hold the caps or fulminat'e C. Resting upon these caps is a small spiral spring partly surrounding the plunger or hammer rod E, resting against a small shoulder on the lower end of said plunger,for the purpose of keeping the lower end of the plunger from resting upon the caps; and upon the upper portion of each of the plungers is located another spring, which serves to prevent the plungers or hammerrods lagging to one side when the blow is struck, thus keeping them in a vertical position, notwithstanding they may receive several blows.

In-Fig. 1 the weights F are. shown resting easily on tops of two of the plungers; but when desired to explode the torpedo, the weight is raised and allowed to fallv with great force, and' drives the plungers, which are provided with knife-edges, into the fulminate, causing it to explode and ignite the nitro-glycerine which passed through the perforations, shattering the cylinder B, and in turn exploding the torpedo.

Now,-should the first operation fail to cause the explosion, then another weight is dropped upon top of the first, and should thisV also fail to explode, then comes the next; and this formsV the gist of my invention.

It will be readily seen that the central plunger is much larger than the others, and passes up through all the weights very loosely, and

manner that it'meets no obstruction on its downward course but the caps in the bottom of the tube.

It will also'be observed that the central tube is shorter than the others, so much so that when the weights of the others fall they will-y not touchthe center one. Now, as before stated, when the others fail, a weight is so arranged as to be dropped upon the central plunger, which is designed to cause the caps in the central tube to explode in the same manner as the former ones, and should the first blow fail in this, then the blow may be repeated until thought advisable to stop, when, if the whole of them fail, then the smallest of the cylinders are taken out, as before described, and reloaded; but it is thought that, if the load is properly put into the torpedo and my apparatus suitably applied, there will be no possibility of failure.

The tubes and plun gers may be so arranged as to receive the blows simultaneously or independently.

It is evident that modifications can be made embodying the principles I have laid down without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The common method of hails, bridges, Src., may be used, and also the same methodof charging. A small cone or anvil is used on the bottom of the inner tube to assist in ex` ploding the caps.

Having now fully described my invent-ion, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a torpedo, of the double series of perforated tubes, their plungers or hammer-rods, provided with springs on their upper portion, and upon their lower portion between the caps and the ends of said plungers, for the purpose set forth and dcscribed.

2. The combination, in a torpedo, of the short tubes, with their plungers or hammerrods, the long tubesand their hammer-rods, with their co-operating weights, springs, and cap, constructed and arranged' to operate in the manner set forth and described.

3. Inl a torpedo-for oil-wells, the combination of the outer cylinder B, series of perforated cylinders-G, inner perforated cylinders D, having capsc, and their plungers or hammer-rods, provided with springs,arranged to operate in the manner set forth and described. projects through the upper bridge in such-a In testimony that I- claim the foregoing as .my own I hereby affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PBOSPEB ELI VVELLMAN;

Witnesses:

J. D. WELLMAN, DANIEL CLARK. 

